Burning Ascent
by SerpentPoison
Summary: Visited by Gandalf the Grey and asked to come on an adventure to reclaim Erebor, Iskra is more than a little unsure. For the gold sickness runs deep in her veins as strongly as a full dragons. Gandalf is sure that having a half-dragon's protection on the quest is worth the risk, but will Iskra be able to keep the Company alive without revealing who she truly is? ThorinXOC
1. The Fire Starter

**A/N: This is a new story that has been floating around in my head. Unlike my other stories, I have already written over 20 pages in this so I have a good headway on this, so I'm really hoping people like it! **

**So let me get a few disclaimers and information about this story before we get started, yes?  
><strong>**1) This will be somewhat AU. Why? Well, if you haven't read the book yet SPOILER ALERT the AU will be that there are no deaths in the Battle of the Five Armies END SPOILER ALERT.  
>2) This will be somewhat movie verse at the beginning and then start moving away from it as the OC changes the story line.<br>3) I have completely come up with the half dragon information on my own so please don't rag on it for not being realistic. It's not canon in the Hobbit but I made the idea for my story. Make sense?  
>4) This WILL have an OC in it. If you don't like it, then just go find another story that doesn't have OCs in it (there are some pretty good ones out there).<strong>

** 5) I don't really have a 5th point, I just didn't want to end at 4!**

**Additional Note: I am trying my best to keep characters IN CHARACTER for the most part. Since this is my first Hobbit fanfiction EVER, please tell me how I'm doing. And tell me how you like it! I love feedback :)**

**I do not own the Hobbit, Lord of the Rings, or any of the characters found in the movies or books. I do however own Iskra, so please do not use her without permission.**

**Now sit back, relax, and enjoy Burning Ascent.**

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><p><strong>Burning Ascent<strong>

_"But it is one thing to read about dragons and another to meet them."  
>-Ursula K. LeGuin<em>

**Chapter One: The Fire Caster**

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><p>Gandalf the Grey was very serious when he looked upon the house before him. It was made of stone with great carvings etched painstakingly into the archway of the door. The door itself was of strong oak and wider than Gandalf was tall, not to mention much taller than him. The house was only one story however, with large windows facing the east. With conviction, the old wizard rapped on the door with his staff.<p>

There was no answer.

Then the door was pulled back to reveal a woman, a dwarf if he were to hazard a guess with no knowledge. She was pale and slender, like a dwarf who had tainted blood. Gold bangles clinked on her thin wrists and ankles as she moved forward to examine her visitor. Her ears were pierced multiple times, all sporting gold hoops. On her lobes however, hung a pair of intricate gold dangles adorned with rubies, sapphires, and emeralds. Her silvery blonde hair was pulled back, jewels and strands of gold woven through it. The golden circlet completed her, meeting in the center of her forehead with a diamond.

She wore a white, gossamer dress with jewels woven into the train—with full knowledge that the white enhanced the appearance of her gold and glittering jewels.

"Lady Iskra," Gandalf said with a bow, "It is an honor."

She looked up at him fiercely, "Gandalf. What brings you here?"

"I am here, my dear lady, to invite you on a quest."

"A quest? Tell me more," her amber eyes glinted with interest.

"A quest to take back Erebor from Smaug," he went on, watching her reactions closely.

A terrified expression crossed her face, "Gandalf, you know what I am. The gold sickness runs deeper in my blood more than it will ever run in the line of Durin. Do you know what you ask?"

"We will need your protection," Gandalf started, "Especially if I have to leave the Company for any reason."

"Gandalf," Iskra said wearily, "Do you truly know what you are asking of me?"

"I am asking you, to protect your King."

Iskra looked up in surprise, "The King Under the Mountain?"

Gandalf bowed his head in affirmation, watching as the half-dwarf thought deeply.

"I have no guarantee that I will not fall to the gold sickness. But I will protect the king and his company with my life. You have my word, Gandalf."

"That is all I could ever ask for from you," Gandalf said with a knowing smile, "We will meet up again in the Shire in one week. I will mark the door. You will recognize it."

Iskra bowed her head slightly in respect, "I will see you a week, Gandalf."

As the wizard left, Iskra closed the door behind him and looked around at her home.

"It seems that I have some packing to do," she said to herself with a chuckle.

With great reluctance, she changed out of the ornate white dress she was wearing into breeches and a tunic. She considered putting on armor, but immediately dismissed the idea. Not only was it restricting and uncomfortable, but her fire usage could make it unbearably hot and it could hurt someone if they touched it by accident. No, she would have to make do without it. Her hide was tough enough as it is. Fire proof and resistant to damage, even if she didn't have scales in this form.

The next thing she decided was to remove the circlet from her head. She chose to keep the rest of her gold on, but the circlet would just get in the way. Her hair was deftly tied back and held in place by the riches she had woven into it just this morning, so she decided to keep those as well as her earrings and bangles on her wrists and ankles. She forwent shoes; her feet would see no wear-and-tear from the ground. Plus, she liked being barefoot. It was liberating.

Iskra stuffed rations, a water skin, and clothes in her pack before donning a dark cloak. If she didn't leave now, she would be late for the meeting. Curse wizards who moved faster than they should be able and curse said wizards who designated a meeting place at such a distant place.

Iskra paused. Of course, she could just fly there. She disregarded the notion. For if she were to take her dragon form, there would be no way to get there inconspicuously. She wanted to keep this secret from the dwarves in the Company as long as she possibly could. Plus, terrifying the countryside was not her goal—though she would not hesitate to admit that it was fun when she did it in centuries past.

She would have to be careful. A half dragon would not be welcomed so kindly, even if she was part dwarf as well.

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><p>"I would take each and every one of the dwarves over an army from the Iron Hills. For when I called upon them, they answered. Loyalty, honor, a willing heart. I can ask no more than that," Thorin answered Balin as they watched Bilbo walk away.<p>

But before any more could be said, a knock echoed through the house.

"I thought she would never arrive," Gandalf said, coming from the other room and opening the door.

Thorin looked incredibly irritated and followed the wizard, the Company not far behind him. He stopped dead in his tracks when Gandalf admitted a young, dwarven woman into the home. She was adorned in gold and jewels; they were even woven into her golden hair. She looked regal, yet not quite a dwarf. She was not stocky; she was slender and curvy. Thorin was reluctant to admit it to himself, but she was attractive.

Her amber eyes found him immediately and she walked passed Gandalf to bow low before him.

"King Under the Mountain," she whispered, "My strength, loyalty, and life are at your command."

"Gandalf, who is this?" Thorin was outraged, causing his nephews to shrink back from him since they were closest in their curiosity to see the newcomer.

Gandalf smiled, "Since I cannot always guarantee my presence with you, I endeavored to find you extra protection. As a precaution."

"She wields magic then?" Thorin asked, slightly surprised.

"A strong magic," Gandalf confirmed.

Thorin looked down at the girl, who was still in the bow. He frowned and motioned for her to rise up.

As she did, he didn't miss the sharp look of intelligence in her eyes.

"Your name."

"Iskra."

"What kind of magic do you wield?"

Her lip curled into a smirk, "A power I'm sure that you would not be fond of, my King. Fire is my gift."

The dwarf king reeled back from her slightly in surprise. A power so deadly from someone so small and delicate looking came as a shock to Thorin Oakenshield.

Iskra grinned at him, "I will not harm you, my King."

"How come you by this power? Dwarves do not have such magic," Thorin demanded, "And how do we know that it is even true?"

Iskra's smile faltered a bit, "It comes from my mother. She was not a dwarf. But she is long dead and I would rather not talk about her."

Her smile widened again, "I can light a candle if you have one."

She was quickly presented with a candle by a young, dark haired dwarf that introduced himself as Kili. He looked too young to be on such a quest, but he looked so eager to see what she could do. She couldn't find it in her heart to fault him. She loved using her powers and showing them off. Almost as much as she loved fighting and gold.

With a careless wave of her arm, fire flowed from her hand to the wick and the candle sparked to life.

Sounds of wonder erupted from most of the company; Kili and his brother, Fili, the loudest of them all.

"With just a wave of your arm! Incredible!" Kili exclaimed.

"I would hate to disappoint," Iskra smirked, "But you looked so excited so I decided to make it look a little better. I didn't have to wave my arm if I didn't want to."

Excited whispers erupted among the dwarves.

"What good is fire against a dragon?" Thorin bore down on her.

"Even if I cannot help with the dragon, I can help with other problems," Iskra snapped, dismissing the idea of facing Smaug immediately.

Thorin looked at Gandalf skeptically.

"She has given me her word and I trust her completely," Gandalf said smartly, "Or do you wish me to get angry again like when you questioned my last judgment?"

"Your last offering for the Company did not pan out well," Thorin argued, "Nor did you tell me about her. We don't know if we can trust her, even if you do."

"It hasn't yet. Iskra is dedicated to the King Under the Mountain."

Thorin grunted and looked at Iskra again.

"If she can keep up, she may come."

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><p>"Our uncle doesn't like you," Kili slinked up to her, taking the seat on her right.<p>

"Kili is right," Fili appeared with his brother, taking the seat on her left.

Iskra shrugged indifferently, "Not many people like me."

"We like you!" Kili grinned, "No one has ever made Uncle that uncomfortable before."

She chucked, "Well I'll try to keep up my reputation then."

"Did you ever live in the mountain?" Fili asked.

Iskra's face fell slightly, "No. My mother wasn't a dwarf. We lived far from Erebor."

"What about your father?" he pushed.

"I never knew who he was. My mother and him had a fling then never saw each other again. My mother and half-brother raised me," she made a face.

"You have a brother?" Kili was curious, "Are you close?"

"No!" Iskra was pale, "He is a horrible monster. He hunted an entire race to extinction. He drove another out of their homes because he liked it."

The two brothers looked upset, making Iskra regret her reaction to their question. Of course they would be bothered by two siblings not getting along. They seemed so close after all.

"What about you?" Kili asked quietly.

Iskra cocked her head to the side, "What about me?"

"Are you like your brother?" Fili asked seriously.

She hesitated before admitting, "I like fighting, battle, war. I thrive there. But I don't like destroying entire homes or peoples—just the occasionally terrorization."

Iskra closed her eyes, waiting for the hate and judgment to come down from them. She was surprised when she felt two pairs of arms encircle her in an embrace.

"Fili? Kili?"

"It was very brave to admit that to us," Fili answered.

"Plus, nothing wrong with liking battle," Kili laughed, "A lot of dwarves are the same way."

Their conversation was interrupted by humming from the other room. Kili and Fili exchanged looks and excused themselves, joining the others in the next room. Iskra listened to the melancholy tune sadly before going to the room Gandalf had showed her to get some sleep.

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><p>The singing of the dwarves last night had lulled Iskra to sleep. When she awoke in the morning, she felt well rested. She rolled out of her blankets and packed up her things as some of the other dwarves did the same. Iskra took a moment to tame the parts of her hair that had come loose in the middle of the night, tucking them back where they belonged.<p>

"We leave now," Thorin appeared in the doorway, motioning to everyone.

They were well on their way atop the backs ponies when a little hobbit came dashing towards them, demanding them to wait. Iskra watched with fascination as Fili and Kili grabbed the hobbit by his underarms and hauled him onto a pony. She rode up to him curiously.

"I don't remember you," he looked at her with equal curiosity.

"Iskra. I showed up after you went to bed. I am extra protection," she grinned at him, "And what is your name, Master Hobbit?"

"Bilbo Baggins."

"I don't doubt this will be fun," she laughed at his expression before trotting off to bother a dwarf king—her new favorite hobby.

Bilbo gave her back a bewildered look.

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><p>The constant rain was miserable for her Company. Iskra realized it when she heard Fili sneeze and when Kili shook water out of his hood. Bilbo was shivering and it looked like Ori was about to do the same. She handed her cloak to the Halfling. He looked like he was about to refuse but she shook his head. Finally, Bilbo accepted it gratefully and muttered his thanks, wrapping it around him and pulling the hood over his head.<p>

Iskra moved deftly to the center of the Company, between Fili and Kili, and began emitting heat. She spread it outward until it reached from Bilbo in the back to Thorin at the lead.

The dwarf king looked back when he felt a calming warmth envelop him. The knowing smirk on the face of the half-dwarf woman in his Company told him exactly where it was coming from. He said nothing, but he welcomed it. Warmth would keep morale high and keep them going for longer. He eyed her before turning to face forward quickly. Without the cloak, her clothes stuck to her in the rain, leaving nothing to the imagination.

Thorin was irritated that it had distracted him.

Iskra handed her lead rains to Fili and told Kili to make sure that she didn't fall off.

"What are you going to do?" the blonde prince asked, startled.

"I am going to sleep," Iskra huffed, "I can't waste energy keeping all of you warm in case something happens where I have to fight. This way I can continue to keep the Company warm, but not lose energy."

"You can keep us warm even if you go to sleep?" Kili asked curiously.

"Of course I can," Iskra huffed, "You'll keep me on lead and on the pony, right?"

The princes nodded enthusiastically. Anything to keep them from being wet _and_ cold. Iskra smiled thankfully and adjusted her position on the pony before drifting off to sleep.

It was many hours later that Kili called to his uncle, "Uncle, we need to stop for the night."

Thorin frowned and turned back to look at the Company. He started when he saw the woman slumped over in the saddle. Kili was riding close to her and Fili was leading her pony. Thorin rode back to where they were and examined her. She was still breathing.

"What happened?" he demanded.

"She wanted to sleep while she used her magic," Kili answered, "But it is almost nightfall, Uncle. She's not hurt; we are just tired."

"Wake her up," Thorin growled, "We stopped here for the night."

His nephews did that on purpose to scare him.

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><p><strong>AN: well?! What do you think? I know we covered a lot of ground in the first chapter but to be honest, we all know the good stuff is going to be later! :P And I'm not going to draw out a scene for no reason. Please! Tell me what you think! It really encourages me to keep writing, knowing at least a few people are loving it :)**

**Also another note: I do not capitalize races like Tolkien did. If it bothers you, I am truly sorry, but it seems weird to me to capitalize race in writing. Sorry! Also, I use "dwarves" instead of "dwarfs" because that is how it is used by Tolkien, Lord of the Rings wiki, and the subtitles in the movies.**

**Sorry! Once again, please review! I love you guys :D**


	2. Trolls & Sentimental Feelings

**A/N: Hello readers! How are you liking it so far? I really appreciated your reviews! Now, coming at you, Chapter 2 of Burning Ascent!**

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><p><strong>Burning Ascent<strong>

_"Noble dragons don't have friends. The nearest they can get to the idea is an enemy who is still alive."  
>-Terry Pratchett<em>

**Chapter Two: Trolls & Sentimental Feelings**

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><p>The next couple days were incredibly boring for Iskra. She was almost regretting coming along for the adventure. Iskra had spent a lot of the time riding behind Thorin and making loud-fake whisper comments about him to Bofur, who chuckled good-naturedly.<p>

"Hey Bofur, what do you call it when Thorin has a backache?" Iskra asked loudly, looking over to her riding companion.

Bofur looked thoughtful before shrugging.

"An a_king_ back!" Iskra laughed loudly, her laugh growing louder when she saw Thorin's eyebrow twitch as he looked back at her darkly.

"Oh Bofur! I have another one! How do you find a prince in the snow?"

Bofur tugged on his hat and finally admit, "How?"

"You follow his foot _prince_!" Iskra answered in peals of laughter, "Ok here's another! What does Thorin have when Fili is acting up?"

"Hey!" Fili called from behind her, "Don't use me in jokes!"

"Hush, this is a good one!" she called back, "Well, Bofur? Any guesses?"

"An annoying dwarf?" Bofur guessed, earning another protest from Fili.

"Nope! A bad _heir_ day!" Iskra roared with laughter, causing Thorin to whirl around in the saddle.

"Be quiet!" he bellowed.

Iskra bit her lip, but didn't say anything else until Thorin stopped the Company on a grassy hill for camp. Gandalf and Thorin were talking in the distance near a rundown house while the Company unpacked bags and relieved the ponies of their burdens for the night.

Suddenly, Gandalf was storming past them muttering about dwarves before he disappeared from sight.

"Come on Bombur, we're hungry," Thorin called to the cook.

Bofur and Bifur went searching for firewood for Bombur. When they came back, Gloin made to start the fire with flint, but Iskra waved him back.

"Save that for emergencies," she said as a soft flame floated from her hand to the kindling, setting it alight.

"How exactly does your power work, Iskra?" Ori asked, journal and quill in hand, "Would you mind if I write down what you tell me?"

"Not at all, Ori," she sat down while Bombur was cooking, "I can start and control fire however I wish, but the origin is always from me. I'll heat up, the more I use the more I do. That's why I don't wear armor. It could hurt someone if they touched it."

Ori nodded as he scribbled down what she said, "What if you aren't wearing armor and someone touched you while you were casting?"

"Depends on what kind of casting I'm doing. It could roast someone alive if I'm fighting as opposed to lighting a fire."

"Thanks, Iskra!" Ori said enthusiastically, finishing the impromptu interview.

It was at that moment that Fili and Kili ran into the campsite, frantically shouting and pointing from where they came from.

"What are you doing here?" Thorin stood up, "You are supposed to be watching the ponies."

"Trolls…Bilbo," they gasped out, still pointing.

The reaction was instantaneous. The two princes had already grabbed their swords and were barreling back. The Company followed quickly, grabbing their own weapons. From up ahead, they could hear Kili shouting, "I said, drop him!"

They came pouring out of the trees and it was chaos. Iskra stayed out of the way, watching for the safety of her Company as they fought. Twice she sent bolts of fire to save Ori from being eaten. The fighting sudden stopped when two of the trolls held Bilbo up between them. Thorin looked over at her, but she shook her head. There was no way she would be able to fry them fast enough without hurting Bilbo and if she went too slowly, they would tear him apart. Thorin grudgingly released his sword, thrusting it into the ground. The dwarves around them threw their weapons to the ground, following the lead of their king.

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><p>Iskra was tied up in a bag next to Kili and Thorin, watching her friends being slow roasted over a fire. In fact, if the situation wasn't so dire, Iskra would feel embarrassed that she was practically lying on top of Thorin.<p>

"Do something, woman," Thorin hissed in her ear.

"I can't," Iskra snapped back, "I'll roast you and Kili alive."

"We can take a little heat!"

Iskra readied herself to attack, but drew her power immediately back into herself when Kili whimpered from the heat radiating off of her.

Thorin was starting to sweat from the heat coming through the bags, but Kili was leaning against her bare arm and writhing away from her. The dwarf king was startled when the heat withdrew immediately. Not even the constant, calming warmth was being emitted from her anymore. The cold was disconcerting and Thorin did not like it at all.

"I can't, I'll hurt Kili," she whispered dejectedly.

Suddenly Bilbo was up and talking about how to cook dwarf, causing an outcry from the Company. Bombur was thrown back down on top of them suddenly, causing Kili and Oin to bite back cries of surprise and pain.

"We don't have parasites!" Kili yelled at Bilbo, "You have parasites!"

Thorin kicked them sharply, causing the pile of dwarves to change their tune quickly.

"I've got parasites as big as my arm!"

"I've got huge parasites! Mine are the biggest parasites!"

The trolls were arguing with Bilbo when Gandalf appeared upon the ledge, causing sighs of relief from the Company as the trolls were turned to stone with the sun.

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><p>Iskra actively avoided the troll horde. From where she was seated outside with Bilbo, she could already feel the pull of the gold calling to her. To distract her, she asked Bilbo about his home and about hobbits. She wasn't sure if it helped.<p>

"Iskra!"

The half-dragon looked up from the conversation with Bilbo about food to see Fili and Kili coming out of the troll horde with identical grins on their faces.

"What did you do wrong?" she asked, standing up to meet them.

"We have something to show you!"

Iskra hid her anxiety, settling on raising an eyebrow and waiting for them to show her.

"Show her, Kili!"

Kili held out his open hand, revealing a beautiful emerald inlaid in a golden ring. Just from looking at it, Iskra could tell that the emerald was real and that the gold was as pure as it could possibly be for the design it held. She reached out slowly, touching the ring before pulling back quickly.

"It is a beautiful ring. Real emerald, good quality gold," she said shakily, looking away from it.

The brothers looked confused.

"It's for you," Fili encouraged as Kili put it in her hand.

Iskra looked up from her concentration on the ground in surprise, "For me?"

"Of course!" they both smiled.

She pulled both of them into a hug, "Thank you!"

"Someone is coming!" Thorin called out, spurning movement out of the dwarves in their various places around the troll hoard and pulling Fili, Kili, and Iskra out of their short hug.

Fili and Kili moved towards their uncle as quickly as they could. Out from the forest came a little man on a sled pulled by rabbits screaming out about murder, fire, and thieves. Gandalf relaxed and began working to calm the small wizard—Radagast—down. Iskra sat down alone on a log when Gandalf confirmed that the new arrival was not an enemy.

Suddenly, Radagast turned to Iskra with wide eyes.

"You!"

Iskra looked up, startled.

"You are not fully dwarf," Radagast whispered in horror, "Part monster."

Iskra stiffened and looked around, but the only one who had heard him was Gandalf. Said wizard looked annoyed and pulled Radagast away from her and the rest of the group to talk with him privately.

It wasn't much later when they heard the howl.

Iskra jumped up from where she was sitting and grouped with the rest of the Company. A warg appeared on the top of the hill before them. Using its powerful hind legs, it leapt at them, taking Iskra down to the ground and using its powerful jaws to snap its teeth into her tough flesh. She cried out in pain, but pushed the warg off as soon as its grip weakened. Another warg came tumbling down next to her with an arrow in it.

"Warg scouts," Thorin grimaced as he helped her up, "which means an orc pack is not far behind."

"Orc pack?" Bilbo's concerned squeak wasn't even acknowledged by the king or wizard.

"Who did you tell about your quest?" Gandalf demanded.

"No one, I swear. What in Durin's name is going on?"

"You are being hunted."

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><p><strong>AN: I'm sure you have noticed that this is not perfect movie verse. It is not. Come on guys! That'd be boring to write! Anyway, what did you think? Please review! The reviews really encourage me to update and write more! :) I'm sorry that its a little shorter than the last chapter, but this was the best place I could do a chapter break. Once again, review review review!**


	3. Iskra the Destroyer

**A/N: I'm sorry this chapter is so late :( Busy week! Ok! There is a mild "scene" in this but it is not graphic so everyone should be ok with reading it I hope XD Enjoy!**

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><p><strong>Burning Ascent<strong>

_"Always speak politely to an enraged dragon."  
>-Steven Brust<em>

**Chapter Three: Iskra the Destroyer**

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><p>They were surrounded. Radagast had done his best to draw off the wargs and orc pack, but it was no good.<p>

"There's more coming!" Kili called out.

"Kili! Shoot them!" Thorin ordered before turning to the fire caster at his side, "Burn them."

"We're surrounded!" Fili's warning rang out.

Iskra grinned and stepped up, "Back up if it gets too hot for you, my King."

Heat swirled around her, forcing Thorin back towards the rocks. Flames poured from her outstretched hands, engulfing the nearest line of wargs. She didn't hear what Gandalf called to them, but she saw the dwarves retreating behind her. A warg was approaching Thorin quickly from her right. She threw her arm out and hurled fire in its direction. The flames swirled around the warg, burning it to a crisp before it even came close to her king.

"Kili! Run!"

At Thorin's shout, Iskra looked behind her and saw Kili running towards them. She circled around and called to him.

"I will cover you, Kili."

Kili nodded and broke into a full sprint, not looking back behind him as he was earlier. Iskra swept her arm out towards the enemy approaching Kili and dozens more were suddenly aflame.

"Iskra!" Thorin called for her.

She looked behind her, "Go, Thorin! I will follow."

With a reluctant look, Thorin jumped down into a hole that Iskra presumed held the rest of the Company. When she was sure that he was out of sight, she turned back to the orcs and grinned.

"Filth of the earth," she hissed at them in Draconic, causing them to stop and stare at her.

"Scum under my claws," she continued, relishing in the horrified look of the pack leader, "Dust beneath my wings."

Oh yes, he recognized the language. Only dragons could speak it, though many could understand it, and they were about to be very, very dead.

Iskra's face started to elongate and change. Golden scales erupted onto her face in a flash of gold light and spread to cover her entire body as it changed and shifted. She felt her teeth sharpen and fill out in her mouth. Her claws lengthened and grew and her wings sprouted, leathery and strong. Finally, her change was complete.

Iskra was large for a half-dragon—she knew for a fact that she was only slightly smaller than her half-brother. She was sure that her father had to have some dragon in him, for unlike her brother and mother; Iskra had six limbs—four legs and two wings—while her mother and brother had two legs and clawed wings. It made her the better flier, but much worse at fighting on the ground.

She slinked forward swiftly, away from the hole where her friends were hiding.

Iskra looked down at the orcs and grinned darkly at them before letting out a powerful roar.

_Prepare to die at the claws of Iskra the Destroyer._

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><p>Thorin's head snapped up when the roar echoed into the cavern they were in. He would know that sound from anywhere. The sound of a dragon.<p>

"Gandalf! What is going on? Iskra is still up there and that was a sound only a dragon could make!" Thorin whirled to face the wizard.

"I'm afraid I'm not sure, my dear dwarf."

"You have to go up there and save her!" Thorin growled.

Bellowing horns interrupted whatever Gandalf was about to say to Thorin, but the wizard continued to look at the dwarf king with curiosity brimming in his eyes. The dragon roared louder then all was quiet above them.

"Do we follow the tunnel? I can't see where it leads," Dwalin called from the back.

"We can't go back up there, Thorin," Balin said softly to him, "We will just have to hope for the best and ask Mahal to watch over her."

The Company quickly reached an affirmative and started to make their way through the tight tunnel. The sunlight was shining down through the crevasse high above them. Bofur was muttering something under his breath about how it wasn't right to leave a member behind, but he soon stopped when Thorin glared at him. The squeeze through the tunnel, but when they finally came out the other end, Thorin looked like he would have rather been facing orcs.

They were looking upon a beautiful city: Rivendell.

Thorin looked like he was about object and turn around to go back through the tunnel when Fili's question stopped him.

"What about Iskra?"

"I'm sure that the elves will help us find her if they have not found her already," Gandalf said wisely, sending a sideways glance at Thorin.

Now Thorin was angry. Gandalf had effectively put him in a spot where he had to at least meet with the elves. If Iskra was retrieved by the elves, then she would be in Rivendell and they couldn't just leave her there. If she wasn't, well according to the wizard, they would help find her. Naturally, by the time they crossed an uncomfortable narrow bridge and onto a circular greeting area, Thorin was fuming. He at least had the sense to tell Dwalin to stay sharp while Gandalf was talking with a dark-haired elf.

Thorin turned from Gandalf and the elf when the same horns that they heard from the tunnel above them bellowed out. Elves upon horseback were approaching quickly on the bridge and had them quickly surrounded.

"Gandalf!"

"Lord Elrond," the grey wizard greeted.

"Iskra!" Fili called out in horror, spotting the woman splayed across the horse in the lap of the elf that greeted Gandalf.

Her head was supported in the crook of Lord Elrond's arm and she looked deathly pale. She wasn't moving nor were her eyes open. Fili, Kili, and Thorin started forward at the same time, almost crashing into each other.

"What did you do to her?" Thorin accused darkly.

Elrond looked down at him and dismounted his horse with Iskra in his arms.

"Thorin, son of Thrain. Your companion was already in this condition when we arrived. If you would like her to live, you should step aside," Elrond replied seriously.

Balin and Dwalin pulled Thorin back, away from the elf. Elrond nodded to them and handed the unconscious Iskra over to the elf that initially greeted them with the instructions to get her set up in a room for healing.

"Will she be ok?" Kili stepped up to ask, bowing clumsily to the elf.

"Her wounds are serious," Elrond hesitated, "Time will tell."

* * *

><p>Fili and Kili were seated next to Iskra's bed. A few elf women had cleaned her and dressed her in clean white clothes after Lord Elrond healed her. Kili was still pale from being in the room when Lord Elrond was in the process of healing the dwarf woman. The warg bite on her shoulder was deep, Kili was positive he could see bone.<p>

The brothers had one of her hands each, holding onto them tightly, when their uncle came into the room. Kili fiddled uncertainly with the emerald ring on her slender finger, but never took it off her hand.

"Is she awake?" he asked, approaching the bed.

"She was earlier, but she went back to sleep about an hour ago," Fili answered.

Thorin nodded, "You two go get something to eat with everyone else. I'll stay here with her."

Fili stood and tugged on his brother's arm until he released his grip of Iskra's hand and left with him to eat with the rest of the Company.

"He's having a hard time."

Thorin looked down, slightly surprised to see Iskra's amber eyes open and watching the king closely. She was smiling softly up at him as she motion to the chair that Fili was using. He sat down, eyes not leaving her.

"You're awake."

"Great observation skills, my King," she chuckled.

"Thorin. You called me that when you saved us."

"I did, didn't I?"

It was silent for a little bit before Thorin asked, "Why did we hear a dragon?"

Iskra levelled her gaze with his and answered strongly, "I can cast very weak illusions when I'm in a bind. I chose a dragon because my fire could make it realistic, especially to the orcs."

Thorin looked convinced, thankfully. Iskra wasn't sure what she would do if he didn't believe her.

She was pulled from her thoughts when a warm hand enveloped her own.

"Are you ok?"

Iskra looked up into Thorin's dark blue eyes with surprise.

"Yes, I-"

She was cut off by Thorin's lips upon hers. They were surprisingly soft. He started to pull away, but Iskra tugged on his shirt and pulled him back into another kiss. The rough tongue that flicked across her lips startled her. Thorin took advantage of her surprise and delved in, exploring every inch of her mouth.

He pulled back suddenly, "We shouldn't. You're hurt."

Iskra pulled him back, "Not _that_ hurt!"

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Yes, everything that you think is happening is actually happening. Is it too fast? I'm not sure. But naturally it is not incredibly romantic at this point in time. Just a way to relieve frustration and tension really. FOR NOW! Ahaha, anyways. Thank you for reading :) Please review! They make me happy!**


	4. Braids

**A/N: Hello readers! Two late chapters in a row :( I'm the worst! Please forgive me! Anyways, please take note of the following formats below that indicate types of writing.**

**Bold: author's note  
><em>Bold and Italic: flashback<br>_**_Italic: lyrics_

**Thank you for your attention. Now without further ado, the next chapter of Burning Ascent!**

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><p><strong>Burning Ascent<strong>

_Fairy tales are more than true: not because they tell us that dragons exist, but because they tell us that dragons can be beaten."  
>-Neil Gaiman<em>

**Chapter Four: Braids**

* * *

><p><strong>"<em>You know that this means nothing."<em>**

**_Iskra gave Thorin Oakenshield an unreadable expression._**

**"_I know."_**

* * *

><p>"Are you sure you're ok?" Kili asked for the seventh time since she sat down with them.<p>

Iskra chuckled and patted him on the back, "I'm pretty sure."

Bofur smiled at her deviously before saying to the entire Company, "I think Iskra owes us a song since she worried us so badly."

"Here here!" Fili cried out in agreement.

Iskra couldn't resist the pleading eyes from Fili, Kili, and Ori. She sighed and agreed reluctantly. On either side of her, Fili and Kili got comfortable, lying their heads in her laps at almost the exact same time, effectively earning a chuckle from Iskra. It was their actions that helped her choose what she wanted to sing to them.

"_Oh misty eye of the mountain below  
><em>_Keep careful watch of my brothers' souls  
><em>_And should the sky be filled with fire and smoke  
><em>_Keep watching over Durin's sons."_

Iskra ran her fingers through Kili's hair and kept a firm arm across Fili as she sang. She could feel Thorin's eyes on her as soon as she finished the first stanza of the song.

"_If this is to end in fire  
><em>_Then we should all burn together  
><em>_Watch the flames climb high into the night."_

To protect the King Under the Mountain and the two Princes was the most important part of the quest for every dwarf here. The song united them in a common goal. They could not lose them.

Bofur, Dwalin, and Balin caught her melody quickly and started to hum harmonies under her, weaving them into her voice expertly.

"_Calling out father, oh,  
><em>_Stand by and we will  
><em>_Watch the flames burn auburn on  
><em>_The mountain side high._

_And if we should die tonight  
><em>_We should all die together  
><em>_Raise a glass of wine for the last time._

_Calling out father, oh,  
><em>_Prepare as we will  
><em>_Watch the flames burn auburn on  
><em>_The mountain side._

_Desolation comes upon the sky._

_Now I see fire  
><em>_Inside the mountain  
><em>_I see fire  
><em>_Burning the trees  
><em>_And I see fire  
><em>_Hollowing souls  
><em>_I see fire  
><em>_Blood in the breeze."_

Iskra was alone when she sang the next line softly.

"_And I hope that you remember me."_

For not hearing the song before considering Iskra had come up with it, the dwarves were very talented harmonizing together under her voice.

"_And if the night is burning  
><em>_I will cover my eyes  
><em>_For if the dark returns  
><em>_Then my brothers will die_

_And as the sky is falling down  
><em>_It crashed into this lonely town  
><em>_And with that shadow upon the ground  
><em>_I hear my people screaming out._

Iskra's eyes lost focus as she envisioned Smaug and his anger.

_Now I see fire  
><em>_Inside the mountains  
><em>_I see fire  
><em>_Burning the trees  
><em>_And I see fire  
><em>_Hollowing souls  
><em>_And I see fire  
><em>_Blood in the breeze."_

Iskra ended the song alone.

"_And I hope that you remember me."_

"That was beautiful, Iskra," Bilbo whispered when she finished.

She smiled and thanked him and the others who complimented her song choice. Balin stood with the pretense of going to sleep and came over to talk to her.

"That was inspiring, lass. Thorin and these boys are important to all of us," Balin whispered to her, motioning to the sleeping princes that were still using her lap as a pillow.

"Iskra?"

She looked up from watching the two dozing boys in her lap to see Bilbo standing in front of her.

"What is it, Bilbo?" she asked curiously.

"I, well, I had a question," Bilbo paused uncertainly, then continued when she motioned for him to continue, "The way you sang—it was different than how the others sang it. I'm not sure if anyone else noticed but…you sounded like you were sure you are going to die."

"Oh, Bilbo," Iskra said quietly, "I think I will die. I'm sure you'll find out soon enough. I'm going to do everything within my power to keep everyone alive. That alone will get me killed."

Bilbo looked concerned and confused, but took a seat next to her. He engaged her in more cheering conversations, about her favorite foods, flowers, and more. They passed the time easily together, never aware of the irritated look upon Thorin Oakenshield's face.

* * *

><p>Iskra had admitted to herself very early in the adventure that she had grown attached to the two dwarf princes. They were adorable and young, not to mention amusing. She suspected that part of it came from her being part dragon and part dwarf. Dwarf children were rare, so they were precious. Dragons were much the same about their offspring. Dragonets were treasured and protected as fiercely as gold until they could protect themselves.<p>

So as they were walking away from Rivendell, she promised herself that she would protect Kili and Fili at all costs. Just like how she would protect Thorin. Naturally, an unknown fact about dragons was their mating habits—not that much was known about dragons in this time since the great fire drakes had all but died out.

Dragons mated for life and only mate again if their chosen is dead. Unknown to Thorin, Iskra was forever bound to him even if he was not to her. As her first, it would be the strongest connection Iskra could ever have. It would rip her apart if he fell, so just as she would protect the young, she would protect her king, her unknowing mate with her life.

All of this she reflected on as they marched and traveled for days upon days towards the Misty Mountains, leaving her quiet for most of the day until they settled down for camp each night.

Iskra was weary as she pulled out her bedroll and looked for a place to put it. Finally deciding on a spot really close to the fire, she knelt to her knees and started clearing the spot of leaves.

"Iskra?"

The half-dragon looked up from where she was setting up her bedroll to see Kili and Fili standing before her. Kili looked strangely shy while Fili looked determined, alerting Iskra immediately that something was bothering them.

"What is it?"

Kili nudged Fili, the older brother taking over, "We want to put braids in your hair."

Iskra dropped the side of her bedroll that she was straightening out, staring at the two young dwarves. She touched her blonde hair, still elegantly pulled back and interwoven with jewels and gold. But she did not have braids in her hair, as they were important to dwarves depending on who did the braiding and how they were braided.

She looked at them suspicious before nodded when she determined that they were serious.

Iskra sat down near the fire on a log and slowly started to pull gems out of her hair, placing them on the ground next to her gently. She tugged the golden net that was woven through her hair out, releasing the golden locks down to her lower back. She ran her fingers through it to pull out the tangles and then motioned to the two brothers.

"I trust that you are both good at this."

They both nodded enthusiastically, sitting down behind her and taking her hair into their hands. After a few moments, Kili stopped what he was doing and peeked around to look at her.

"Iskra, may I use one of these?" he motioned to the jewels at her side.

Iskra tensed up, fighting down the immediate urge to fight for her small horde that she had brought with her from home. She nodded stiffly, feeling better about her decision when a huge smile lit up Kili's face.

He picked a dark ruby from the pile and incorporated it into his braid while Fili picked out a bright sapphire. Finally, the brothers declared themselves done and asked what she thought excitedly.

Iskra touched each of the braids and felt them, running her fingers over the weaved pattern. She thought she was about to cry when she recognized what they were.

"A family braid?" she asked softly, eyes getting watery.

They smiled at her brightly.

She motioned to their hair, "May I?"

Fili gave Kili a smug look, "I told you that she would return the favor!"

"You did not! I said that!"

"What?!"

"Fili," Iskra interrupted with a smile, "Sit."

Quickly, Iskra wove an emerald into a blonde family braid. She touched it softly before doing a similar braid in Kili's dark hair with a matching emerald for him as well. She grabbed the two of them in a fierce hug, burying her face into Fili's shoulder to hide her tears.

"Iskra, what's wrong?" Kili asked quietly.

"I've never had braids before," Iskra answered, voice quivering with emotion, "Not like these. Nothing ever so special."

"Well you are special to us," Kili reassured with a smile, Fili nodding in affirmation.

Iskra smiled weakly at them, releasing them from the hug. It was only a matter of time before they hated her; might as well enjoy it while she could. Little did she know that someone in the Company was going to be discovering her secret much sooner than she ever expected.

* * *

><p>"You adore those two."<p>

Iskra looked at Thorin from the corner of her eyes before returning to the task of washing her shirts in the river.

"I do. Children are precious."

"They are hardly children."

"They are to me," Iskra said sharply, turning fully to look at the king, "They are still young."

Thorin looked like he was going to argue but Iskra interrupted, "The stars are bright tonight."

The king looked up at the sky in confusion. Stars were not of particular importance to dwarves like they were to the elves. Dwarves lived under the mountain. There were more important things than the superficial beauty of a faraway star. It wasn't until he looked back at Iskra that his breath was taken away.

She was looking up, her amber eyes sparkling with something akin to longing. The moonlight made her look even paler than she normally did. Thorin wanted nothing more than to touch and kiss that creamy skin once again. Her hair was no longer pulled back away from her face by the golden net and jewels. It fell in soft waves down her back. Thorin felt cheated that he did not have the opportunity to run his hands through her golden locks. The two braids that his nephews had done framed her face, the sapphire and ruby twinkling at him tauntingly.

Iskra looked back at him and smiled weakly, "The stars see everything. In some ways, I envy them. But in other ways, I don't."

Thorin leveled his gaze at her, "What do you have to fear? Or to lose for that matter?"

Iskra broke his eye contact and looked out across the river, whispering, "I'm afraid of Smaug, Thorin. I'm afraid he will rip you, Kili, and Fili away from me."

"Me?" Thorin looked startled.

She chuckled, "You, Thorin. King Under the Mountain."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Ok the song is the ending credits song from the Desolation of Smaug: I See Fire by Ed Sheeran. Thank you for reading! Please review and tell me what you think :D It helps me and inspires me! I hope you enjoyed Chapter Four of Burning Ascent!**


	5. Keep Walking

**A/N: I am sorry for the delay! I had a bunch of school stuff to do and, to top it all off, my internet was down for quite a bit so I apologize for the delay! Here is the next chapter of Burning Ascent! Enjoy!**

* * *

><p><strong>Burning Ascent<strong>

_"Sleeping on a dragon's hoard with greedy, dragonish thoughts in his heart, he had become a dragon himself."  
>-C.S. Lewis<em>

**Chapter Five: Keep Walking**

* * *

><p>Rain was assaulting them from every side, making the cliff side even more dangerous than it already was. Iskra was exhausted. Ever since Fili and Kili had braided her hair—maybe even before that, she wasn't sure—she could never seem to get enough sleep. She was running on almost no energy. Perhaps if she was at her full potential, she would have recognized the uneasiness beneath her exhaustion. She was taken by surprise when Balin called out that the storm they were weathering was no ordinary storm, but a thunder battle.<p>

It was then that she recognized the warning from her dragon blood. Dragons didn't mess with stone giants for one huge reason—the stones they threw could rip apart dragon wings and drop the fliers out of the sky.

Suddenly Bofur moved up in awe. Iskra, in between Fili and Bofur, grabbed the foolish dwarf and pulled him away from the edge and falling rocks.

The ground below them shook and rumbled, splitting the Company apart at Fili and Kili. Iskra had to grab the hood on Fili's cloak to keep him from falling as he reached out for his brother.

"Fili, don't!" Iskra cried out, pulling him in close to her.

Iskra looked up horrified. They were standing on the leg of a stone giant. As he stood and stumbled, she could see the other half of the Company that was on the other leg scramble off to the nearby and stationary mountain. She tightened her grip on Fili when she felt him slipping, grabbing a hold of Bofur as well when his stance faltered.

Swirling out of control atop the leg of a stone giant was terrifying. Iskra couldn't transform to save them. Not only would the dwarves find out if she did, but the stone giants would definitely hurt her. And she was tired, so very tired—she wasn't sure if she would be able to change back once she was in her dragon form.

Suddenly the stone giant they were on shook, his head taken off by a flying boulder. His fall swung them near the mountain side and she saw the looks of horror on the other half of the Company's faces when they flashed by.

The rock of the mountain was coming towards them fast. Iskra prepared to jump, grabbing Bofur and Fili and using her dragon strength to take them in the jump with her. They narrowly avoided being smashed to pieces into the face of the mountain. She stood and winced. She had not made a clean jump, her leg was throbbing in pain. She must have slammed it against the rock.

Thorin and the other part of the Company came rushing around the corner, making varying noises of relief. Iskra wanted to just sit down and go to sleep strangely, even though the rain was still coming down fiercely. She thought someone said something to her, but she couldn't really focus her vision properly.

The outcry from Bofur was what snapped her back into focus.

"Where's Bilbo?!"

Iskra stood sharply as Bofur and Ori reached down to Bilbo to try to help him up. Thorin jumped down onto a very small ledge to pull Bilbo up when the hobbit's grip failed.

Bilbo was falling before Thorin could reach him.

Iskra jolted forward, bolting past a startled Fili and Kili. She took a running dive over the cliff, vaguely hearing outcries from the dwarves as she fell away. She thought that she felt a ghost of a hand over her bare foot as she past Thorin.

"Iskra!"

Kili's shout was the last the she heard as she shot down the mountain. She kept her arms tucked close to her body to speed herself up and desperately hoped that Bilbo was trying to slow himself down.

She could see Bilbo form ahead of her. When his startled face came into view, it told her that he didn't expect any sort of rescue. She was going to have to do a quick transformation, unlike the slow transformation against the orcs, or she wouldn't be fast enough.

"Bilbo, don't panic," she called out to him.

Starting at the center of her chest near her heart, Iskra erupted into golden light that spread across her whole body. The light blinded the hobbit and when his vision cleared, a large, golden dragon was closing in on him. He gaped at the dragon that was where Iskra had been. He was too startled and disoriented to be afraid. When he had finally recovered from his surprise, he was calm enough to remember that Iskra told him not to panic. Surely this was her. He hoped.

The dragon gripped him lightly in its claws and spiraled upward, placing him on the cliff wall, away from where the dwarves were. It landed next to him, shrinking back down quickly into Iskra's form.

Bilbo rushed forward and steadied her as she wobbled dangerously when she tried to walk forward.

"You're a dragon?" Bilbo whispered, trying to support her weight.

Iskra looked at her friend wearily and admitted, "I'm a half-dragon."

"You think Thorin will have you killed when he finds out," Bilbo realized.

Iskra's expression darkened.

"I know he will."

Iskra stumbled, leaning heavily on the hobbit. Bilbo took a small step forward, encouraging her to move with him.

"Are you always this tired after you become a dragon?" Bilbo asked as they slowly walked towards where they last saw the dwarves.

She shook her head, "I don't know what's wrong with me."

Bilbo looked concerned, "We just have to make it to the Company and you can rest. Come on, Iskra. Keep walking."

Keep walking.

* * *

><p>Thorin saw a flash of white in the corner of his eyes and suddenly, Iskra was jumping past him after the hobbit. He reached out as fast as he could to grab her, but his fingers grazed her foot before she slipped away from him.<p>

"Iskra!" Kili cried out, rushing to the edge, having to be pulled back by Bifur.

Dwalin pulled Thorin up from where he was and patted his shoulder in a consoling manner.

Thorin felt empty, a strange aching in his chest was bothering him.

"We need to find shelter," he rasped out finally, looking around.

After little searching, the dwarves found a cave not too far from the fall.

"Fire?" Gloin asked.

"No," Thorin rasped, "Not here."

Whether his answer was out of logic for the area or misery for losing two Company members, no one knew.

"Bofur, you have watch."

The dwarf nodded dejectedly and took a seat in a nook that he deemed optimal for keeping watch over the Company as they slept. The others settled down for the night. From where Bofur was sitting, he could see that Fili and Kili had curled up into each other. Both had faint traces of tear streaks on their faces, but they had been very careful to keep that from Thorin. Bofur knew that the two princes had grown close to the firecaster, which made her strange suicide move very strange to him. It was suspicious.

All of the dwarves except for Bofur were sleeping heavily within the next hour. Fili and Kili were still curled up together, holding on to each other tightly. Thorin was sleeping restlessly, tossing and turning in his bedroll.

"Bofur!"

The dwarf stood up sharply when he heard his name and looked around, but everyone was still asleep in their bedrolls as far as he could tell.

"Bofur, help me!" a voice hissed from outside the cave.

Bofur stood cautiously and peered out from the cave. He nearly yelped in surprise when two limping figures started to emerge from the rain. He rushed out and helped Bilbo, who was supporting a nearly unconscious Iskra. He wrapped her other arm around his neck and, with Bilbo's help, got the firecaster into the cave.

"Yer alive," Bofur whispered in awe, "How?"

Bilbo shook his head, "I don't know. Iskra did something with her fire magic. Something about rising heat waves."

The hobbit painstakingly recited what Iskra told him to tell the dwarves if he was asked about the rescue. They could not, under any circumstances, know about what she truly was.

Bofur looked confused but accepted that magic was involved and that was good enough for him. He pulled a spare shirt out of his bedroll and began to pat Iskra dry. While it would be highly inappropriate for him to remove her clothes, she could not sleep while she was soaked through. So the dwarf did what he could.

Iskra muttered under her breath to Bilbo, causing the hobbit to smile slightly.

"What did she say?" Bofur asked.

"She wants to sleep near Fili and Kili."

"A'course she does," Bofur chuckled quietly, "Let's get her over there."

The two brothers had moved slightly away from each other during their sleep, leaving just enough room for Iskra to lie between them on her bedroll. Bilbo quickly laid her bedroll down and Bofur helped the dwarf woman over. She laid down and curled into her blanket, snuggling close to the brothers that she was wedged between.

The movement in the cave awoke Thorin from his restless sleep. He sharply looked around the cave from his spot at the wall to reassure himself that everyone was safe. He was mildly curious that he could see Bofur standing near his nephews. Bofur moved back to the front of the cave for his watch along with Bilbo.

Thorin sat straight up. Bilbo? How was Bilbo here? Thorin had watched the hobbit fall over the side of the cliff, taking Iskra with him in an indirect way.

"What's that?" Bofur asked curious, motioning to Bilbo's hip.

Thorin leaned forward, barely catching the sight of Bilbo's sword glowing blue before they went plummeting into the depths below them.

Dwarves were shouting and grunting when they landed in an odd cage-like contraption with goblins rushing at them quickly from the only exit of the cage.

"Geroff of me, you idiots!" a muffled voices came from beneath Thorin's dazed and confused nephews.

His heart dropped into his stomach then leapt into his throat, beating strongly.

But before Thorin had a chance to discover if it was really her or just his horrible imagination playing tricks on him, they were being herded and shoved by goblins over a bridge. It wasn't long until they were gathered in front of a very large and very ugly goblin.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Sooo what do you think? This is very hard to write! But I'm glad to be finally moving away from movieverse. It's a lot easier in that respect XD anyway! please review! I'm serious when I say that it really encourages me to have reviews!**


	6. Epiphany

**A/N: Helllooo and welcome to another chapter of Burning Ascent! Last time on Burning Ascent, the Company just got dropped into a mess of goblins! Please please please review! Guys I am a bit disappointed :( Even if you reviewed last chapter, review again! Tell me what you think about this chapter! It makes me happy! Really and truly it does! Enjoy this installment of Burning Ascent!**

* * *

><p><strong>Burning Ascent<strong>

_"Dragons and legends...it would have been difficult for any man not to want to fight beside a dragon."  
>-Patricia Briggs<em>

**Chapter Six: Epiphany**

* * *

><p>Fili and Kili had hugged Iskra sharply, but had no time to ask questions are talk as they were shoved by goblins. But they stuck close to her, not leaving her side. Kili was the first to notice that Iskra was lethargic and not entirely focused on her surroundings. He gave his brother a look and motioned to the firestarter. He nodded, putting one arm around her as Kili did. Together, the brothers supported their dear friend, even as they stood before the Goblin King.<p>

"Who brings weapons into my kingdom?" the Goblin King complained.

"Dwarves," a small goblin answered.

When the Goblin King questioned them about their presence, the dwarves remained silent. Iskra groggily looked around for Thorin. Finally spotting him, she made her way towards the king, aided by Fili and Kili.

She slipped her hand into his—the hand with the ring from Fili and Kili on it.

Thorin was startled out of his focus when a cool hand with a ring on it slipped into his. He looked down into the amber eyes of Iskra. She gave him a weak smile before turning her attention to the Goblin King. Thorin realized that she wanted him to know that she was ok, but that he should focus on the danger instead of her.

Clever woman.

A goblin looking through the weapons they plundered off the Company picked up Thorin's sword and pulled it out of its sheath.

He flung the sword from him, quivering. The dancing and singing of the Goblin King stopped as all of the goblins withdrew from the sword.

"The Goblin Cleaver!"

With that, the Company was thrown into chaos. The goblins around them were lashing out with large whips, focused on the dwarf king. Iskra growled, attempting to move forward to help him. It was only the grip of Fili and Kili that stopped her.

"Cut off his head!"

Iskra's eyes widened. She prepared to change, a soft golden glow shining from her heart. A sudden blast of white light stopped her. Gandalf had arrived. She looked around her, suddenly the only one standing. Iskra chuckled. At least she wasn't weak enough to fall to a wizard yet. And to think dwarves prided themselves on being sturdy.

"Take up arms! Fight! Fight!"

Dwarves were scrambling for weapons immediately. Iskra tossed Kili his bow and quiver, while simultaneously hurling fire at an oncoming goblin. Gandalf looked back sharply when fire whizzed over his head at another goblin.

"Careful, Lady Iskra. Do remember that the bridges are wooden," he called back.

Iskra huffed and muttered under her breath, "I know that."

* * *

><p>If it wasn't goblins, it was wargs and orcs. Iskra was already swaying on her feet when Bilbo showed up and now she was lagging behind as they ran from wargs. She was running behind the Company with Bilbo. When she heard the snarls closing in, she threw a line of fire out behind her without looking and continued to run, dragging Bilbo with her.<p>

They reached the edge of a cliff, leaving their only option to take to the trees.

Iskra was in the same tree as Thorin and Balin, sitting comfortably on a branch. She watched as a large orc atop a white warg came into view, eliciting a reaction from Thorin.

"Azog."

Iskra prayed that Thorin had no knowledge of black speech that Azog was speaking in. The insult to Thorin's father was a clear indication of who had killed him.

While Thorin was muttering in denial, Iskra stood and balanced on her branch, briefly drawing the eyes of Azog to herself before he dismissed her and went back to talking to Thorin.

"Don't dismiss me so quickly," Iskra pitched her voice so the black speech would reach the pale orc.

Fire snaked out of her hands, engulfing a warg that was moving to the trees. Other wargs soon were snapping and clawing at the trees, causing the dwarves to have to jump to the next tree as the one they were in fell. Iskra ended up on a branch next to Thorin, lighting pinecones with Gandalf for them to throw. She could no longer use her fire while the wargs were so close to the tree they were in unless she wanted to risk catching everyone on fire.

Iskra started as the tree started falling. She looked up at Gandalf with a frantic question in her eyes, but the wizard shook his head. So Gandalf did not want her to transform, so he must have something up his sleeves. But Iskra knew that the wizard could not fly so help had to be coming.

Iskra threw her arm out and caught Bofur, pulling him up before he fell. Ahead of her, she could see Gandalf catch Dori and Ori with his staff.

"Uncle!"

Iskra whipped around when she heard Fili and Kili's cry. While her back was turned, Thorin had stood and was rushing towards Azog. The white warg knocked him down solidly. Blood boiled in her veins as she braced herself on the tree and leapt forward, pushing to stand in front of the King Under the Mountain.

She was too slow.

Azog hit Thorin soundly in the head, effectively knocking him out. Iskra grunted and put herself in front of Thorin, her feet skidding on the ground. The look that the pale orc gave her was clearly uninterested and bored, but she stayed where she was, standing up straight.

"He is mine," she growled in black speech.

The pale orc straightened on his warg, sending her a glare that promised pain. The look that she returned clearly said 'I'd like to see you try'. Before either of them could make a move, almost all of the Company had climbed off the tree and had joined the fray. From the corner of her eye, Iskra could even see Bilbo fighting as best he could. It wasn't long until Iskra understood what exactly Gandalf had planned.

Eagles.

Iskra resisted a groan as she watched dwarves get picked up in large talons and dropped onto the backs of other eagles. She scooped up Orcrist and hooked it to her belt. Iskra worked hard to get Thorin upon her back, momentarily forgetting the danger around her. It was only thanks to Bilbo that she was not fatally injured. The dear hobbit leapt on an orc that he watched Azog order towards them.

An eagle swiftly swooped down, picking up both her and Thorin in its claws. It wasn't long before the rest of the Company surrounded them in flight upon the eagles. Iskra felt woozy, but held tightly onto Thorin with determination. To her right she could see Fili and Kili watching the two of them with concern. Just when Iskra was sure that she was about to pass out, they were dropped off on a plateau.

As Iskra watched Thorin groggily opened his eyes. Relief washed over her like a calming wave, the she promptly blacked out.

* * *

><p>Iskra worried her lip as they sat in Beorn's cabin. Knowing skin changers in the past, Iskra had gone to Beorn in private and asked him to confirm or, hopefully, refute her suspicions. Skin changers were very in tune with nature and that allowed a great many of them to be able to sense the changes in a woman if she were pregnant.<p>

He had confirmed her suspicion.

A small, dragon-dwarf child was growing inside her. A child that was Thorin's heir. Beorn had congratulated her when she asked. He told her that he knew how hard it was for both dragons and dwarves to conceive, eliciting surprise from the half-dragon. A select few skin changers could ever tell what she was when she met them, so she was impressed.

But Iskra had larger problems at hand. A child of Thorin Oakenshield, of her unwitting mate, had to be protected. Yet so did Thorin himself.

"Iskra, what's wrong?" Kili was suddenly at her side where she sat in a corner.

"You look very upset," Fili added, appearing at her other side.

Iskra hesitated. She could tell them and risk them telling Thorin. But she would feel better talking to someone and knowing that they would keep an eye on her. But she also feared Fili's response. He would no longer be heir if the baby was carried to term.

"You can tell us anything," Fili coaxed, Kili nodded vigorously in agreement.

Iskra looked around. All of the other dwarves were engaged in individual conversations. Even Thorin was talking quietly with Balin and Dwalin. She finally looked back at them and nodded.

"You cannot tell anyone."

They both nodded eagerly and stood up from their crouching position.

"Let's go outside," Kili suggested, tugging Iskra to her feet, "We swear to not tell anyone."

Iskra chuckled as she was led outside by the two princes. They sat down on a bench outside and situated themselves so they were draped haphazardly across her. They watched her with curious and encouraging eyes as she composed her thoughts.

"Fili, what would you do if you weren't heir?" Iskra finally asked.

Fili looked at her thoughtfully before answering, "I'd probably feel relieved. That's a lot of stress for something that I don't really want. But Uncle has no children and I could never disappoint him like that."

Kili was watching Iskra closely while she listened to Fili's answer. The brief spasm of a muscle in her neck when Fili mentioned children clued Kili in immediately.

"You're pregnant!" Kili exclaimed, cutting off his brother.

Both of the brothers were looking at her with wide, happy eyes. When she nodded in confirmation, they both enveloped her in a tight hug.

"But you can't stay on the quest then! Obviously Uncle doesn't know or he would make you leave!" Kili complained.

Iskra jumped up, "You cannot tell him. You swore to tell no one and that includes him."

The two exchanged doubtful looks but reluctantly nodded.

"We're sticking extra close to you now, though," Fili said with certainty, clapping her on the back.

"I can't wait," Iskra chuckled.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Sooo what do you think? How many of you guessed? I can't wait to hear what you think! Please review and keep an eye out for the next chapter! I'm not sure when it will be up because I am writing it all as I go now, but I will try! **


	7. Mirkwood

**A/N: Oh gracious it has been a while since I've update this story and I deeply apologize for the delay. There's a short time skip in here but it is very obvious where it is. Enjoy this installment of Burning Ascent!**

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><p><strong>Burning Ascent<strong>

_"I'm not so much a dragon slayer, more of a dragon annoyer-I'm a dragon irritater."  
>-Craig Ferguson<em>

**Chapter Seven: Mirkwood**

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><p>Iskra was pacing while Gandalf was informing the others about the dangers of the Mirkwood. She could feel the eyes of Fili and Kili on her and knew that she was making them uncomfortable, but she could not find it in her to stop her worrying. The thought of going into Mirkwood made her extremely nervous. She used to visit Greenwood often, finding the wild nature of wood-elves to be refreshing in comparison to their kin in Rivendell. While she was sure the young prince would not recognize her, she was positive that Thranduil would. That was the problem. Thranduil knew exactly what she was and continued to welcome her into his realm even though she had not been in quite a while. But if she was discovered coming into his realm with a company of dwarves that had no permission or right to be there…well that would be another story.<p>

Iskra paused in her pacing when Gandalf bid them farewell for now. She pulled up the hood of her cloak tightly and pinned it at the throat with a brooch. She would take no chances. The hood stayed on until they left Mirkwood.

As they entered Mirkwood, Iskra stayed close to Fili and Kili. They were amicably chatting with each other, trying to pull her into the conversation. But Iskra was stubborn.

"Iskra? Have you thought of any names?" Kili asked.

"No."

"Have you decided whether or not to stay with us after the quest is over?" Fili tried.

"No."

"Is there something wrong?" the two finally asked simultaneously.

Iskra finally looked at them with a stern expression, "This wood is dangerous. We can talk about all of that when we are no longer here."

The two looked significantly deflated, but eventually nodded dejectedly.

Iskra grimaced. The Company was most definitely lost and no one seemed to be overly worried about it except for her. She was too busy musing to notice that everyone was standing around a tree waiting for Bilbo to come back down and tell them the correct direction to go.

A loud crashing sound made Iskra's head snap up. The half-dragon was immediately on alert, though no one else seemed to have heard the sound. It was getting closer.

"Bilbo!" Iskra shouted, drawing the dwarves' attention to herself, "Come down NOW."

The panic in her voice caused Fili and Kili to start towards her. When their eyes widened marginally on something behind her, she whirled around but she was too slow. All she saw was a pair of hairy legs before pain exploded behind her eyes and all went dark.

She could have sworn that she heard a strong voice call out her name, but she was sure it was in her imagination. No matter how much she cared for Thorin, the feeling was not returned even if she desperately wanted him to do so.

* * *

><p>Iskra huffed and sent irritated looks to the wood elves that had surrounded them. She had returned to consciousness to learn that she was knocked out by giant spiders, saved by Bilbo, then to be surrounded by wood elves. To say that she was irritated would be an understatement. A better word would probably be infuriated.<p>

She pulled her hood close and checked to make sure the brooch holding it up was still in place as they were marched to the castle of the king.

Stupid dwarves and their stupid stubbornness.

Iskra was mumbling darkly under her breath the entire way, earning odd looks from the band of elves that had captured them.

"Enough mutterings, dwarf," one said sharply, nudging her with his elbow.

Iskra stumbled, the growing baby in her belly throwing her off balance despite the fact that she was not showing. She righted herself and glared at him, only to be completely caught off guard. One of her captors was the Prince of Mirkwood, Legolas. Another look out of the corner of her eye told her that he did not recognize her like she had predicted.

"Stupid whelpling," she growled under her breath, the moniker reminding her of a time when the prince was small and running underfoot all the time.

* * *

><p><em>Iskra smiled as a little blonde elf wrapped his arms around her leg.<em>

_"Auntie! You're here!"_

_"Hello, whelpling," Iskra grinned, picking the prince up with a sweep of her arms, "Have you been behaving for your father while I was gone?"_

_Legolas nodded enthusiastically, waving his little arms around, "He's going to teach me how to use a weapon!"_

_"Is that so, whelpling? I didn't think you quite big enough yet," Iskra chuckled when he started squirming. She let him down gently and followed him to the throne room where Thranduil was waiting on them._

"_You look just like Oropher up there," Iskra commented as she entered, eying Thranduil._

_The elvenking made a face quite unbecoming of a ruler before rising and making his way down to the two below him._

"_Please do not mention my father. He is no longer here."_

"_Yes, I heard," Iskra said, troubled, "Will you be alright?"_

"_Of course I will be," Thranduil scoffed, "Now what is your business here? You weren't expected back for quite some time."_

"_I actually have a gift for the Prince of the Woodland Realm," Iskra said with a small half bow. Typically her status as an ancient half-dragon kept her from formalities, but she felt it necessary for giving a gift for a prince._

"_A gift?"_

"_Auntie, you have a gift for me?" the young elf was tugging on her tunic excitedly._

"_Hush now, whelpling. Let your father speak," Iskra ruffled his hair, earning a protest from Legolas._

"_We would be honored to accept a gift from you, Iskra."_

_Iskra pulled out a slim box and offered it to the king, who accepted it with an incline of his head. He opened the box to reveal a beautifully crafted set of dual long knives. The hilts were golden; both the blade and the hilt of each had elegant designs etched in them. The blades even had a gold dusting at the bottom near the hilt._

"_These cost you a fortune."_

"_The cost was unimportant," she said with a wave of her hands._

_Thranduil raised an eyebrow but instead of answering her, knelt down to Legolas's level. He held out the box for the prince to examine. _

"_For me?" Legolas looked up at Iskra with wide eyes._

"_Of course these are for you, whelpling."_

"_I'll always cherish them!"_

* * *

><p>Iskra glared passive aggressively at the swords sheathed on the back of the prince's back with a scowl on her face. She could see Fili and Kili continuously looking back at her to make sure she was ok. Finally she gave the two a reassuring smile before they were separated.<p>

The Company was taken down to where Iskra knew the dungeon cells were, while Thorin and herself were taken upward to the throne room. The half-dragon adjusted her hood as she walked behind the King Under the Mountain and the Prince of the Woodland Realm.

They entered the throne room, but Iskra refused to look up at Thranduil, content with staring at Thorin's boots. She blatantly ignored the conversation between the two kings, only looking up briefly when Thranduil dropped his glamour that covered his face. Thorin was dismissed rather quickly to the dungeons. Iskra followed, only for the hand of the prince to stop her.

"You're staying here."

Thorin was about to furiously protest, but he was escorted from the room to the dungeons before he could, though Iskra could hear his shouts from the hall.

"Who is this, Legolas?" the elvenking asked.

"I don't know," he looked troubled, "But it is a she-dwarf."

Thranduil blinked and stepped down from his throne, examining her critically.

"You and I both know that you have had those long before the fall of the Mountain," Iskra commented, watching the elvenking from under her lashes, "I do have to say that it is a new experience to be threatened by weapons bought by my own coin though."

"Do not speak in riddles, dwarf! Who are you?" Legolas resorted, making a threatening step forward.

"Whelpling, if you put those swords in my face again, I will forcibly take them from you," Iskra growled.

Legolas stared at her with wide eyes. Thranduil stepped quickly down the rest of the steps from where he was standing and stood before her. He slowly reached up and removed the hood from her head.

"Iskra."

"The one and only."

"What are you doing travelling with these dwarves?" Thranduil sighed, giving her a brief embrace.

"Gandalf."

Thranduil nodded understandingly, "You won't be staying in the dungeons with them. Legolas, do you remember Iskra?"

Legolas carefully sheathed his twin swords and stared at her, "Aunt Iskra."

Iskra raised an eyebrow, "Do I not get a hug, whelpling?"

Legolas wrapped his arms around her shoulders and hugged her tightly as he whispered, "I've missed you Auntie."

From over Legolas' shoulder, Iskra could see Thranduil eying her stomach critically but thankfully he said nothing in front of Legolas. Whether he was holding the information for himself or was going to confront her at a later time, she was unsure.

"I'll show you to your room, Iskra," Legolas insisted, taking her arm, "And I'll walk you to dinner later this evening."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: There wasn't much Thorin in this chapter and I apologize for that but it'll get better! (I hope!) Thorin will obviously have much more umm screen time? Story time? Well you get the idea. Thorin will have a lot more appearances later and in more depth and detail. Please review! The reviews keep me going, they truly do!**


	8. Captivity

**A/N: I apologize for the delay in posting this chapter. This past semester was the busiest one that I will have so hopefully I'll be posting and updating more frequently! Please review! I hope you like it!**

**Also I think it deserves to be mentioned that the final Hobbit movie (BOTFA), might have definitely made me cry :(**

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><p><strong>Burning Ascent<strong>

_"That's the spirit-one part brave, three parts fool."  
>-Christopher Paolini<em>

**Chapter Eight: Captivity**

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><p>Iskra made a noise of frustration as she tried to smooth out the deep blue elven tunic she was wearing. Try as she might, Thranduil insisted that she wear what the elves provided, meaning she looked short and fat. The half-dragon sighed as she brushed her hair out, taking care to not upset the braids that Fili and Kili had gifted her.<p>

She had not seen Thorin or any of the company for a week and she was getting anxious.

A knock on her door pulled her out of her thoughts. Iskra rose with annoyance to answer. To her surprise, there was no one there. She shook her head as she closed the door. She did not think that elflings would be in the area where her rooms were.

She turned around and yelped, nearly burning the poor hobbit that appeared before her to a crisp.

"BILBO! How did you-?"

Bilbo smiled sheepishly at her and shrugged. Iskra's eyes wandered briefly to his pocket where she could feel an evil presence of tainted gold, but she shook her head.

"Don't show me, I don't want to see that thing," she gave him a serious look, "You should tell Gandalf about it, if you want my opinion."

"There's nothing wrong with it," Bilbo defended.

Iskra shrugged, "Far be it from me to judge you. I'm just giving you some…friendly advice."

"Why are they keeping you here and not in the dungeons with the others?"

Iskra perked up, "You've found the others?"

Bilbo nodded, "They're in the dungeons in separate cells for the most part."

Iskra raised an eyebrow, "Are they close to each other?"

"Somewhat. Thorin is further than the rest, but the others are next to each other or across from each other."

"Bilbo," Iskra started, "Can you find a way to get them out of here?"

"What about you?" Bilbo asked in surprise.

"Thranduil and I have been friends for a long time. He will not keep me here against my will. But our dwarves have a quest to finish, wouldn't you agree?"

Before Bilbo could answer, there was another knock at Iskra's door. She waited for Bilbo to disappear from the corner of her eye before opening to door to Legolas. She smiled gently at him.

"Father granted your request," he said, briefly hugging her.

Iskra nodded sharply and took time adjusting her appearance in the mirror before turning back to Legolas and the open door.

"Take me to them."

* * *

><p>Iskra visited the cell of Fili and Kili first. The two immediately rushed to the bars, hugging her and kissing her face. She whispered urgently with them, reassuring them that she was ok and that the baby was fine.<p>

Finally reassured, the two sat down and stared forlornly at her.

Unable to leave them without something to make them feel better, Iskra spoke, "Let me tell you two a story before I go."

She was rewarded with two pairs of shining eyes.

"Long ago, a woman fell in love with a beast. This beast was not evil, but none had ever viewed him as good either. He breathed fire and terrorized the skies every time he took flight, but the woman loved him despite his faults. However, she grew greedy as she lived with the beast. She learned of a legend, a legend that she would stopped at nothing to obtain. For the legend she had heard, would grant her immortality or at the very least an elongated life. The nature of Man caused her to betray herself and love. As her beastly lover lay sleeping, she carved out his heart and ate it. For it was said that having the heart of a dragon would grant eternal life and youth. Shortly after the gruesome act, she discovered that she carried a child—a half dragon baby that was a part of her lover and herself. After her baby came into the world, with the same molten amber eyes, the woman drove herself insane. Over many centuries, her daughter watched her wither away until she died. Her daughter was strong and vowed to never fall to the weakness of her mother's side—the nature of Man."

Fili and Kili's eyes were wide with delight and interest.

"I'll come visit you soon," she kissed them on the forehead one last time.

She moved on to other dwarves, assuring that they had been fed and had blankets. She finally approached Thorin's cell.

"You're unharmed."

Iskra bowed silently, eyes shining with emotion, "As are you."

"How is it that you are not a prisoner?" Thorin inquired, approaching the bars. He reached out and fiddled with a strand of her hair idly as he waited for her answer.

She hesitated, "Thranduil is an old friend."

The fingers in her hair stopped suddenly. A sharp pain across her left cheek left her blinking in confusion. She touched her cheek, tracing the open cut that Thorin's ring had left. The cut was shallow and, had it been from anyone else, would have healed almost instantly. However, as an infliction from her mate, it would scar over and never truly fade.

She stopped Legolas with a hand motion. The elf prince was shaking with fury. Iskra turned her eyes back to Thorin. He had turned white. He reached out slowly and touched the cut on her cheek.

"Iskra, I'm sorry. I didn't mean-"

"It's ok, Thorin. You're on edge because of the restraints caused by time, not to mention that you don't like elves, especially Thranduil. I should not have provoked you, yet I don't think that I deserved to be hit."

Thorin stared at her, "I can never make this up to you."

"In time perhaps," Iskra started, "I need to go. I'll be back soon."

She leaned against the bars and kissed Thorin's cheek before turning to Legolas and leaving the dungeons. As she left, she could have sworn she heard Thorin speak one more time.

"I am so sorry."

* * *

><p>"Legolas told me that you were injured during an…altercation with Thorin Oakenshield. He asked me to come down to tend to it."<p>

Iskra sighed from where she was lounging in a chair, "Is that what he's calling it? I'm not worried about it."

Thranduil sat down in the chair next to her. His fingers were cold on her face when he lightly gripped her chin, turning her head to the side so he could see the damage his son reported to him. His face showed mild surprise when his search revealed a scar line across her cheek.

"This should have healed instantly," Thranduil sighed, "He is your One, your mate."

She shifted uncomfortably, "I won't deny it."

"Iskra, it is not my place to lecture you," Thranduil started, "Especially since you are my elder. But do you know what you ae doing? He will fall to the gold sickness."

"I can't do anything even if I wanted to. Dragons mate for life, you know this Thranduil," she said with a raised eyebrow.

"But you don't want to?"

Iskra shook her head, "No, he's special."

"He struck you."

She shrugged, "I don't condone what he did, but he's stressed. There's a time limit and he's stuck in a cell. He's responsible for the lives of everyone in the Company, not to mention that his sister's sons are among them."

"You adore those two," Thranduil observed.

"That's exactly what Thorin said," Iskra laughed, "You two are more alike than you would care to admit."

Thranduil made a face, "We have something else to discuss. Your…condition. You carry the heir of the entire mountain. Why does Oakenshield even allow you to continue travelling on this quest?"

"He might not know."

"You haven't told him? How can he not know?"

"He may be my One, but I am not his."

"Iskra, that's dangerous for both you and your unborn dragonet."

"King Thranduil!"

The two turned to the door to see an out of breath elf guard. She bowed briefly to her king and upon receiving a nod, gave her report.

"The dwarves are gone from the dungeons. Prince Legolas is in pursuit. I am going to take a squad and assist."

"Very well, Tauriel."

The elf nodded and took her leave. Thranduil looked back at Iskra, eyes narrowed. She shrugged innocently.

"I've been here the entire time talking to you. However, I do believe it is time for me to go."

"You're still going to help them? After he hit you?"

Iskra laughed. It was surprisingly light and musical.

"Thranduil, you know that it was only a scratch and the only reason it scarred was because dragons are strange. Scars are testaments to the might of a dragon and its family. You know this."

"It does not bother you that he struck you?"

Iskra's expression darkened, "I know from travelling with the Company that Thorin is not like that. He is already starting to show the symptoms of the gold sickness."

"I fear for you."

"I fear more for them."

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><p><strong>AN: What do you think? I hope you enjoyed it! Push that little button at the bottom and leave me a review!**


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